Texas Governor Greg Abbott has taken action and appointed an infectious disease task force to prepare for the Zika virus in the Lone Star state. On Thursday, the Texas Governor appointed 31 members to the Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response. Dr. John Hellerstedt will serve as director.

In a press release obtained by Breitbart Texas, Abbott said the Task Force was created “to provide expert, evidence-based assessments, protocols, and recommendations related to state responses to infectious diseases, and to serve as a reliable and transparent source of information and education for Texas leadership and citizens.”

advertisement

As reported by Breitbart Texas on Thursday, the Zika virus has hit the Mexican border city of Reynosa. According to state health officials, the victim was identified as a man who had recently traveled to Colombia which is one of the countries that has seen an outbreak of the disease. The appearance of the Zika virus in Mexico has kept Mexican health officials on alert after the country has seen more than 34 cases in recent weeks.

An expert in pediatric infectious diseases told reporters in Dallas that people in Texas who are infected with the Zika virus could infect mosquitoes and start a new “transmission cycle” in Texas, as reported by Breitbart Texas. Dr. Jeffrey Kahn is the chief of pediatric infectious diseases for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He also serves a director of infectious diseases at Children’s Medical Center.

In an interview with NBCDFW in Dallas on Tuesday, Dr. Kahn said, “As we head towards springtime, if we have a lot of people infected with Zika, either because they are imported cases or sexually acquired cases, that may trigger the mosquitoes to get infected with the virus and start that transmission cycle. And, once that occurs, it’s almost impossible to get the virus out of the population.”

The following individuals have been appointed to serve on this task force:

James Bass is Executive Director of the Texas Department of Transportation.